HOLTON, Kan. — Jackson County authorities say an apparent propane leak caused an explosion in northeast Kansas last week that killed one man and seriously injured his wife. Sheriff Tim Morse said Monday a great amount of propane leaked into the home of 61-year-old Billy “Lu” Griffiths and his wife, Teri, in rural Holton on May 10. It’s unclear exactly what sparked the gas but Morse said the explosion was not believed to be a criminal act. Billy Griffiths died in the blast and his wife was hospitalized with serious injuries. Original Story: HOLTON, Kan. — Officials in northeastern Kansas…
Author: KMAN Staff
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, have identified a man killed last week in a wooded residential area on the northwestern edge of the city. Police said in a news release Monday that officers were called to the area the afternoon of May 11 and found 38-year-old Francisco Herrera-Flores, of Kansas City, Kansas. Police say Herrera-Flores had been shot. Police say 36-year-old Guadalupe Benitez-Pizarro, of Sante Fe, New Mexico, has been arrested and charged with second-degree felony murder in Herrera-Flores’ death. Benitez-Pizarro is being held in the Wyandotte County Jail on a $250,000 bond.
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas schools are stepping up efforts to administer COVID-19 vaccines to newly eligible 12-to 15-year-olds as more districts relax mask rules or face pressure to do so. Hundreds of students from public and private schools gathered Monday to get vaccinated at Topeka High School. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the students were joined by Gov. Laura Kelly, who touted the effort as the state aims to increase its vaccine uptake. School districts from Manhattan to Olathe are conducting similar clinics and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, as well as the Kansas National Guard, is chipping…
GODDARD, Kan. — Sedgwick County authorities say a 3-year-old boy died after being accidentally run over by a truck driven by a family member. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter says officers responding to a home in Goddard Monday evening found Kannon Agnew dead at the scene. The sheriff says the boy was outside with his father and three other children when he stopped to change his shoes, which were on the wrong feet. The 40-year-old driver was moving the vehicle to hook it to a trailer and didn’t see the child sitting there. Easter says the investigation will continue but…
EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — A former Tyson employee in Emporia faces sentencing in July after admitting that he defrauded the company of more than $416,000. Federal prosecutors say David John Ranger used company cards to transfer funds into his personal accounts while he was working as plant maintenance manager in Emporia. He also created a fictitious company and claimed the company was providing services to Tyson. Prosecutors say he used the money from the scheme to pay his personal expenses. The fraud began in December 2012 and ended in April 2019. Ranger pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud…
The following summary of calls for service/reports filed by the Riley County Police Department is a portion of those received by police. Some names, addresses, and case details are withheld to follow local, state, and federal law as well as in an attempt to protect community members from being victimized further. Those arrested are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. MANHATTAN, KAN. – Officers responded to the report of an injury crash near the intersection of Fort Riley Blvd. and S. Seth Child Rd. in Manhattan on May 17, 2021, at approximately 1:40 p.m. When officers arrived…
Manhattan City Manager Ron Fehr and Mayor Wynn Butler joined us to preview the Manhattan City Commission Tuesday meeting.
Jury trials have largely been on hold during the pandemic as the 21st Judicial District Court seeks potential venues for spacing concerns. Chief Judge Grant Bannister informed Riley County commissioners Monday one option for jury selection and subsequent trials that follow, could be the nearby Wareham Opera House. “On our higher level criminal felonies, we need to seat 39 people and we need to have usually a dozen or two dozen, sometimes three dozen backups based upon people we’ll excuse either for cause or other challenges and then have to back fill with them. So it’s a pretty large number…
Riley County commissioners approved a mid year salary adjustment for county employees on Monday. The adjustment is a 1% pay scale increase for all active employees. The 1% increase is for the mid year of 2021, but will also include 2020 and the first part of 2021 for a total of 2.52%. The reason this was brought to the commission was due to the county freezing salaries for the 2021 budget last year in anticipation of economic challenges due to the pandemic. However, the impact was less than anticipated. Budget and Finance Officer Tami Robison told the commission that since…
TOPEKA, Kan. — A criminal complaint alleges lobbyist James Gardner had a blood-alcohol level more than three times the legal limit at the time of a February crash that injured his passenger. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the complaint which was filed May 6 charges Gardner with aggravated battery committed while driving under the influence. It also charges the 48-year-old Gardner with a felony count of interference with a law enforcement officer and a misdemeanor count of transporting liquor in an open container. Gardner is a board member for Shawnee County’s Mission Township, where he serves as treasurer.